It was March of last year when developer GSC Game World shared the first in-engine screenshot of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, its first foray into this world since 2010"s S.TA.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. Then, during last year"s Xbox Games Showcase in July, we saw an in-engine trailer for the game. Now, the developer has offered folks an official gameplay look (see above) at the upcoming title, as well as a release date.
The sequel to the first trilogy of games, now dubbed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, is described as such:
Discover the vast Chernobyl Exclusion Zone full of dangerous enemies, deadly anomalies and powerful artifacts. Unveil your own epic story as you make your way to the Heart of Chernobyl. Choose your paths wisely, as they will determine your fate and shape the future of the Zone in the end.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a critically-acclaimed franchise that has millions of players exploring the hostile environment of the Chernobyl Anomalous Exclusion Zone for more than a decade. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a long-awaited sequel to the series that aims to deliver all the fan-favorite elements — challenging combat, chilling horror and a thrill of a fight for survival.
Beyond the details above, the developer has also released the minimum, as well as recommended system requirements. They are:
| Minimum system requirements | Recommended system requirements | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (no version specified) | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 1600X / Intel Core i5-7600K | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X / Intel Core i7-9700K |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB | AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB |
| Storage | 150GB | |
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is coming April 28, 2022 to Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S, and will also launch day one in Game Pass.
It"s available in a number of variants, with the digital versions coming in Standard ($59.99), Deluxe ($79.99), and Ultimate ($109.99) flavors.
The retails variants come in Standard ($59.99), Limited ($79.99), Collector"s ($179.99) and Ultimate ($339.99) flavors, the latter of which contains an Artefact Container Lamp and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. backpack, beyond the artbook and Stalker figurine present in the Collector"s edition.